Park Board seeking public feedback on Stanley Park Drive's bike lane barriers

Concrete barriers for the bike lane on Stanley Park Drive, Summer 2021. (Vancouver Park Board)

The public has a final opportunity to provide the Vancouver Park Board with feedback on its 2021 design of the bike lane along Stanley Park Drive.

A separated bike lane returned this past summer after being first implemented in 2020 as a pandemic measure, but major changes were made to the design based on previous input.

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Just like in 2020, the general configuration allocates the right lane for cyclists, and the left lane for vehicles.

To improve safety for cyclists, temporary traffic barriers such as cones were replaced by more sturdy concrete barriers in certain areas, along with other traffic management materials.

Access to vehicle parking lots across the park has improved, including lots serving Prospect Point, Third Beach, and Ferguson Point, following feedback from seniors, disability groups, and businesses.

One other major change from the previous year was permitting cyclists to return to the seawall.

2021 configuration for the Stanley Park Drive bike lane. (Vancouver Park Board)

The online survey opened late last month, and runs until this Sunday, October 17, 2021.

In March 2021, Park Board commissioners passed a motion directing staff to re-establish the temporary bike lane until at least the end of October.

In a decision last year, commissioners also directed staff to explore longer-term options to reduce vehicle traffic in Stanley Park.

The bike lane has been the subject of much controversy for Park Board staff and commissioners, along with their handling of the growing number of coyote attacks in the park throughout the summer. Visitation numbers at the park this year may have been affected by the coyote attacks, and the prolonged measure of overnight closures of the park starting mid-evening.

Several restaurant businesses on the outer edges of the park fought against the Park Board, asserting that the difficult conditions brought on by the pandemic were compounded by the bike lane’s impact on vehicular traffic. A legal challenge earlier this year arguing that the Park Board acted in bad faith about its jurisdiction was recently rejected in court.

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